You know how you know it’s November? I actually made breakfast this morning. I’m sorry if that shattered your pristine image of me. Sure, I occasionally cook big, elaborate brunches for friends or family and I even spoil myself from time to time with yogurt with pumpkin butter and pepita granola, but pretty consistently, Saturday and Sunday morning I chew on my fingernails until Alex wakes up, or sometimes, if I’m really hungry and he’s still sleeping (the boy is a sleep MACHINE) I’ll sit next to him on the bed and stare until he wakes up and brings us either bagels from Murray’s or eggs from the diner. Yes, you heard that right. I get a fried egg and toast take out. Yes, I am ashamed to know myself sometimes, too.

Nonetheless, as it appears that despite my caveats this NaBloPoMo thing is on, I figure that if nothing else I can use it to clean out the refrigerator. Have you ever bought something but forgotten to eat it then found six weeks later that it was in the very back of the refrigerator, still in perfect condition? Did it make you feel wildly uncomfortable about the preservatives that must be in your food? Did you get over it and eat it anyway? Well, I did. I found some little green apples in the produce drawer this morning that Alex, despite loving green apples, had been staunchly avoiding because they had actually ripened (true story: the boy doesn’t like ripe fruit), and then there was some leftover ricotta from a dish we’ll get to next week and a lemon that really had better days, but wouldn’t my grandmothers be proud that I hadn’t wasted food?

Wow, I really know how to make a dish sound appetizing, don’t I? Mmm, old apples and a lemon ready for the retirement home–I bet you can’t wait to try this one! Oh, but you should, even with fresher ingredients. These lemon-ricotta pancakes were delicious, light and ever so crisp at the edges and the sauteed apples had all the best qualities of apple pie, including making the apartment smell decadent. Breakfast this morning just triumphed over anything available from the diner, and I questioned why I didn’t do this more often. Could it be time to turn over a new leaf? What if I used those hours between the time I woke up and Alex did for something useful, not just reading Jezebel and watching the Food Network? Maybe NaBloPoMo will make me a better person.

And then I spied the dishes in the sink–two saute pans, two spatulas, cutting board, knife, pile of peels, empty containers, a stray lemon seed, plates, bowls, forks, ohmygaaa. Corner diner, I will not forsake you again.

Prepare the sauteed apples:
In a large heavy skillet saute the apples in the butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until they are softened, sprinkle them with the sugar and the cinnamon, and cook them over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and keep the mixture warm.

Make the pancakes:
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the zest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat (Deb does not concur. She firmly believes that pancakes should be cooked medium-low.) until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200Â°F oven.

123 comments on lemon ricotta pancakes with sauteed apples

OMG this sounds AWESOME and I don’t even liked cooked apples that much! I love that you admit to using, um…”mature” fruits from the fridge – it makes the rest of us not feel so bad. Thanks, Deb! Also love the ricotta in the pancakes – I bet they were nice and fluffy…

Right this minute I’m eating breakfast – a cup of tea and ginger shorthread (healthy I know). These pancakes sound a lot better. Maybe I should try these next weekend when I’ve tired of my usual “coffee and toast”-routine.

Looking forward to being entertained all the way through November. I was secretly hoping for it – had so much fun reading your daily posts a year ago.

OK my question…how come my pancakes on a GRIDDLE never come out looking like the pancakes from a diner. Or the pancakes I see cooked on some Food Network TV shows? Mine are never that big — I even bought a mamouth pancake flipper, and it takes until the last of the batter to get the color of my pancake NOT to be spotted. In diners, the pancakes have that overall nice tanned color –NEVER spotted like mine. I preheat my griddle for 30 minutes set to 350-375 degrees. Is a diner griddle set even hotter, because I can set my griddle hot too? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And yes, this recipe looks scum-dilly-ish-issssss!

Oh my! I am definitely going to try these. Sounds like they are the ultimate leftover breakfast ingredients! And good for you for not wasting food!http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
I know it’s scary that apples can last that long, but in truth, the apples that you buy at the supermarket are usually already a year old! Our friend works in the fruit business and let us in on that disturbing news!

I don’t know about the lemon, but the health of those ripened Granny Smiths isn’t surprising. I went apple-picking at Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, OH two weekends ago (recommended!), where I got info on preserving and cooking my bounty. Not only does Lynd say that apples last for a few weeks without refrigeration, but it also had tips for keeping them for up to 5 months – one year! I’ve lost the tip sheet, but something about sugar and something about the back of the fridge :-)

P.S. I had McCann’s Irish steel-cut oatmeal with apple butter for breakfast today. And I made it in my rice cooker.

Hmmm I wonder if I used Bisquick instead of flour and omitted part of the sugar….in the morning i use what is quickest and bisquick for a hungry 23yr old (who still lives at home and is in school) is a perfect staple….but now i know what to do with my cottage cheese and old apples….this is great even on crepes…

“I was all set to give you a biscuit recipe for today’s Sunday Brunch post, but then I happened to read Deb’s Smitten Kitchen post on the lemon ricotta pancakes with sauteed apples recipe from Gourmet Magazine in 1991. Yum!
Here’s the recipe, complete with Deb’s annotation. For Deb’s great photos you’ll have to click through to her post.”

Ooh, this sounds delicious. Sometimes when my husband and I want something sweet but not too decadent, I’ll saute apples just like that, and just eat them plain. Yum.

As for the “old” apples, just remember: most of our ancestors, before refrigeration, probably had root cellars. Basically a cave dug in the ground where they kept things like potatoes, onions, apples. Because in the ground it would stay relatively cool through the summer and wouldn’t freeze in the winter, and they could keep some of those fresh veggies around well past their natural seasons. Anyway, not to make this a tutorial on food preservation. Just thought I would mention that I routinely buy enough apples, carrots, and onions for a month, because I know that in my refrigerator they will be just fine for that long.

Wow! this looks really amazing! will definitely try it out in a couple of days.
btw, while saute-ing apples try adding a pinch of salt and a pinch of paprika/red chili powder, it tastes absolutely great on a toasted bread slice or just by itself!

Somehow I’m guessing the scarily old items in my fridge wouldn’t come together to make something so delicious (creamed saucisson sec, anyone..? no?). I love lemon ricotta pancakes, though. I have a recipe that throws in poppy seeds for a little crunch!

I’m not sure that in recent memory I’ve used a fresh lemon when cooking; I always find ones I bought a month or more previous for lemonade and never used. I feel a lot better about my cooking habits now. I might just make the apples and use my own pancake recipe, with at least the zest added.

I’m surprised you buttered the griddle, though. I use an electric one and I’ve never had a problem with anything sticking.

I love it- my boyfriend’s a sleep machine too, and sometimes I stare at him and just think “wake up, wake up” because I’m hungry for breakfast. It never seems to work, so I have to resort to subtly poking him. Oh, and I’m super-excited you’re doing NaBloPoMo!

but a fried egg and toast don’t make many dishes at all! i should know this, because that’s all i ate last week while my husband was out of town. usually my lazy bachlorette meal is pasta with garlic and blue cheese, but hey. we had eggs.

and he left me alone with the halloween candy, so heavy meals weren’t really needed.

there’s another recipe for pancakes that you might like in the whole foods cookbook, most of which is available on the whole foods website for cottage cheese pancakes – they are super easy and soooo good (though the yield on the recipe is much smaller than it says)

i’d been putting off making these since it’d just be for me, but i couldn’t resist any longer. i scaled your recipe down to a “single serving” size (okay, so i just bunged the stuff in a bowl, aiming for the right proportions) and SWEET HOLY CRACKERS. this is gooooooood. i’ve never been that big on pancakes, but i think this has me converted.

My husband and I made these this past Sunday as we had leftover Ricotta in the fridge and were keen on a more elaborate meal than coffee, OJ and some toast – I am so glad that I printed this recipe! It was exactly what we were looking for, the lemony tang really came through, the texture of the pancakes is fabulous and since I am having a major love affair with cooked fruit lately the apples were divine on top! Thanks for another amazing recipe!

Just found your blog yesterday, and there went my afternoon! Knew I had to make these today (Sunday). Skipped the apples in the interests of time and cleanup, and used 2% cottage cheese, blended until smooth, since I had that and no ricotta. Despite those alterations, pancakes were phenomenal. My husband loves you.

Just filled our your poll and it reminded me I never posted after making the pancakes this summer. I had another recipe from a few years back, but yours trumped it in spades! I didn’t do the sauteed apples (may try that this fall) … just dusted the cakes with powdered sugar. Thanks!!!

Have made these topped with thawed frozen raspberries with a little sweetener. Once thawed they are very juicy…perfect as a topping. Can cook with some cornstarch and some lemon zest if you want at a thicker topping. Yum

I was no impressed by these. They didn’t taste like lemon at all to me. The batter was way too puffy and did not “settle” on the griddle – the cook time was extremely off for me and if I’d made the griddle any hotter, I’d have burnt the exterior without cooking the interior. In fact, after 4 mins on each side, the inside was STILL wet, puffy batter – not cooked. Not nearly sweet enough for me (granted more sugar could be added) but my two major complaints are the batter consistency/cooking and the lack of lemon flavor.

Hi! I made these today and they were a big hit:) I added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and doubled the lemon zest…I think my lemons were weak, just couldn’t get enough of that light lemon flavor without adding more zest. they were fluffy and the apples were great alongside.
I love your website!
Thanks!

I love SueJ comment about the use of cottage cheese. I am VERY VERY deathly allergic to Ricotta. There are so many recipes i want to make but don’t know what to substitute for the ricotta. ie:2 Tbsp of ricotta is called for in a recipe for cheese danish. what can i use or not use for this? i want to surprise my husband with them this weekend.

These are divine! (Not to mention, nothing like the normal heavy, unhealthy standard pancakes) We tried both with the apples and with boysenberry jam and really like the slight tartness of the jam. Plus they’re great cold! Thanks for the recipe!

I just made these for Mother’s Day Brunch. I thought I’d be really smart and prep all the ingredients before hand, so that when we were ready to eat I’d just need to whip the eggs and cook. And it would’ve worked too, except my measuring cup with the flour got hidden behind another bowl and I completely forgot to add it in! I noticed the omission after the first batch went on the griddle, and added an approximated amount of flour to the remaining batter (tried to fold it in gently, but they still turned out a bit heavy). The funny part is, the flour-less ones were still really tasty (I just told everyone I was trying out a new low-carb recipe!)

On a side note, instead of the apples I made a warm blueberry compote to go on top, which was divine with the lemon (the apples just seemed to Fall/Wintery for a Mother’s Day brunch)

I made these for Sunday brunch this morning. This recipe is AMAAAAZING! In fact, the pancake recipe is so good that I felt that the apples were totally unnecessary and actually upstaged it. I’ll save the apple recipe for when I’m using a blander pancake out of shmisquick. :P

I have been a Smitten Kitchen stalker for some time now, hiding in the shadows and making all your wonderful recipes but never commenting :) But after making these pancakes, I had to! I am hard to please when it comes to pancakes; Bisquick and the like just won’t cut it. They’re all to dense and dry so I was pleasantly surprised to make these and find a wonderful, airy base pancake recipe that I hope to modify depending on my mood. My boyfriend especially appreciated these as a breakfast after he finished a 24 hour shift (he’s a paramedic). Thanks for all the wonderful foods you bring into my kitchen!

I made these pancakes for Mother’s Day today. Things don’t always go perfectly smoothly between my mother and me, but this was a nice treat-slash-project, so we had something to do. I put in extra zest (Mom zested, as she was sous for once) and served them with a little blueberry compote (good idea, Liz above). They were fluffy, delicious, and a bit special, while still very easy. Thanks.

Because I have yet to make a pancake without it being burnt or raw, I opted out and made waffles. These were wonderful! Enjoyed a late brunch on the deck and enjoyed the fall colors and the crisp air. Instead of maple syrup, we topped the apples with Greek yogurt. What a nice memory to have when it’s blizzarding outside. Thanks for adding to the experience!

If I may be so bold as to suggest… add some melted butter to the batter, before you fold in the egg whites. I’ve been making a similar recipe for many years (adapted from a Four Seasons Hotel recipe). Sure it may not be “heart smart” but it makes a big difference. Also, try serving these delicious griddle cakes with a raspberry compote (cooked raspberries with a bit of sugar and lemon zest)…hhheaven.

I’m so glad I noticed this on your recent post! Ever since I went to Hell’s Kitchen in Minneapolis a month ago (where I had a lovely meal), I’ve been wishing I’d had their Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes. Now I’ll just make them for myself!

I’ve made these several times and they are delicious! The batter will likely not look like your “normal” pancake batter as it is thicker and won’t spread into a perfect circle. Basically I dropped the 1/4 cup onto the griddle (which I set at 375, seems to work well though take probably 4 to 6 minutes for the first side and 2 to 3 minutes for the second) and then spread the batter thinner in a circular motion using the back of a spoon or my finger. It work perfectly!! Thank you Deb!!

Another amazing recipe. I made them at brunch last weekend (along with the vanilla pudding). I used a regular pan instead of the griddle, which might have been the problem, so they were a bit of a hot mess, but a delicious goodness hot mess. By the time the last pancakes were put in, they turned out much better. They were a little too sweet for me, so I will probably use less sugar next time, but that is just my preference.

I love these (even without the apples!). I like to skip out on buttering the pan, so that the pancakes come out a lovely and even golden brown. Of course, this only works if the pan has been sufficiently heated. I totally agree with you Deb; med-low works best!

So, here I am this morning with two eggs, no milk and two hungry kids… I needed a breakfast idea and FAST! My friend recently turned me on to your blog so after checking every cookbook I owned, not an easy feat, I checked out your blog. These pancakes saved my life today (almost literally!)!!! I just so happened to have some ricotta left from a mac n’ cheese recipe I had made last week and my lemon tree had one more on it! What luck!!! I had to half the recipe (because of the egg shortage) and was so disappointed that there weren’t more pancakes! I’m headed to the store now to buy more eggs! So far my family and I have LOVED everything that I’ve made from your site. Thanks for the inspiration!

I have a story about these pancakes too, Alissa. I’m having my Bat Mitzvah TOMORROW and am an excited, nervous mess about. Monday morning I could not go to sleep. So I got up at 5:30, peeled, sliced, cored and sauteed the apples, grated the lemon, beat the whites…it was SO relaxing. These pancakes maybe saved my life. Probably not though. I really like them. They have lots of lemon taste without being bitter or too acidic at all. The apples really compliment them. Next time I think I’ll up the cinnamon, though. My cousins from Burlington, VT stayed here last night, and I have the batter, which I made last night, already in the fridge, so I’ll grill some more of there pancakes up for breakfast. And thanks Deb, for this wonderful-as-usual recipe!!

I made these today. They are good. I used Friendship Farmer Cheese instead of ricotta. I don’t know if that made a difference. My husband loved them but I was hoping for a more cheese taste. These almost tasted like ordinary pancakes with another texture. Anything I can do to up the ‘cheese’ taste? The apples were delicious however. No complaints about those:)

These are delicious! I am not an expert pancake maker, so I stupidly sat there waiting for them to bubble on the first few. But once I reread the instructions and just turned them when they were golden, I was all set. I also agree about being patient at a lower oven setting. Will make these again!

Made these twice, once with ricotta and once with yogurt instead. They’re very different from normal pancakes… I found the texture to be a bit too egg-white-y, but yummy lemon flavor and the apples are awesome! They taste like apple pie filling.

These look delicious, but I don’t own an electric mixer (or even a hand-held). Is there some other way to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks? Or some way to modify that step for kitchen with very little equipment? Thanks!

So I made the amazingly delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls from a week or so ago, but now I have a lot of pumpkin purée left over. I was thinking I could swap out the ricotta for pumpkin purée and add pumpkin-y spices since their consistencies are similar. Your thoughts?

These are yummy! I think I will add vanilla extract and more sugar next time (I like my pancakes a little sweeter.) But the texture of these is heavenly and the apples on top are so good. Great breakfast on a fall weekend :)

Also – I didn’t have an electric mixer and instead used one of those little mini whisks for salad dressings (all my new apartment has at the moment whisk-wise). Lucky I was making a half batch. It was a workout but plenty worthwhile.

I just made these this morning with pink lady apples (4 is a bit too much, I recommend 3 large ones or even 2 if you don’t want leftovers). The pancakes themselves are fluffy but with a graininess that comes from the ricotta. I was using whole milk ricotta and if you like a fluffy smooth texture I would not recommend this recipe. I would also recommend adding some lemon juice to the pancake batter because the lemon flavor is not very pronounced. I made 8 pancakes out of this recipe that were about 3 inches each. The batter is very thick and when I ladled it into the pan, I had to flatten it otherwise it kinda stays in a mound because of the beaten egg whites incorporated into it.

Deb is right Jenny. I just made these tonight for the first time, and they were perfectly light and fluffy, no graininess whatsoever! And I thought the lemon flavor was perfect..it made them light and fragrant and wasn’t overpowering. Use a bit more lemon juice in the accompanying apples and you’ll get some more tartness without ruining the pancakes. My only issue with these was it being a bit of a pain having to do the egg whites separate, but the end result was worth it!

Just made these with some alterations: instead of ricotta, I used 1 1/3 cups of honey orange greek style yogurt (omitted sugar from pancakes), added about 1/8 ts of orange extract instead of juice. Unless I’m making meringue, I never whip egg whites, so the whole eggs just got whisked in w/ the yogurt (this made them more like Swedish pancakes, which is fine with me). Also, due to not whipping the egg whites, I added about 1/4 ts. baking powder along with the flour. The apples were honey crisp instead of Granny Smiths, and their presence on the pancakes left no need for further sweetening, so no syrup. Incredibly yummy, glad the recipe was so flexible!!

I made these today and they were wonderful! I am a relative novice in the kitchen, and this was one of the first times I have made pancakes. They were fluffy, light, and the flavours were wonderful. My only problem was burning some of them on the pan as they cooked, however that just takes some practice I suppose. I absolutely loved the ricotta and I cannot wait to make them again. Thank you.

I just made these this morning and substituted spelt flour for the all purpose. They turned out great. I mixed a bit of blueberry jam with maple syrup as a topping. My husband and I loved it! great way to use up ricotta.

I just stumbled on this site. I wish I had stumbled on it a lot earlier. Some of the recipes here are out of this world. I’ve never seen pancakes with ricotta, but they seem fantastic and it’s a brilliant idea. Great stuff. Thanks!

Heavenly is how I would describe these pancakes: airy…fluffy…moist…fresh. In the midst of a cold Chicago winter, they offer a hope for Spring. I chose this recipe because it did not have as much flour as others. I am trying to watch what I eat without ‘dieting.’ These were a perfect treat. I halved the recipe and omitted the apples and any syrup. A delightful way to get the protein of two eggs, some dairy and just enough carbs to fuel a walk through the forest preserve white with fresh snow. Thanks!

I just came across this recipe, it looks delicious, but it sounds like one of our redundant AM flight crew meals, this thin crepe thing with ricotta and “peaches” inside with a pile of apple strudel filling like stuff on top. If I get over the nauseous feeling I get when I think about that, I’ll be sure to try this, which I’m sure is a million times better! Maybe catering should switch to this recipe…

i made these today but freaked out at the thickness of the batter and the potential puffiness of the end product and so i added about a cup and a half of milk and cooked them on my crepe pan. delicious! i stuffed up the order of the apples and cooked them with the sugar and cinnamon with the butter but they were still great. thanks for the recipe

I made these this morning for breakfast. They are fantastic! Thank you Deb for never failing me, your recipes always work. Oh, my daughter and I decided that there was one thing missing from the presentation at the table… a dollop of whipped cream!

Just made these with ricotta left over from last night’s wild mushroom ravioli, several past-their-prime orchard apples, and a shriveled, vintage lemon half. For once, my folded-in egg whites didn’t collapse, but held the batter up in airy, moussey fashion, hence allowing for the structural soundness of these gorgeous, pouffy little beauties. Flavor balance was perfect–just the perfect hint of lemon. And, despite my fear that the interior would be slimy, what we got was just light, fluffy, and heavenly. Kid #1 (who eats everything) had three helpings; Kid #2 (who eats nothing) had two helpings, and Husband, who hates all things eggy, grabbed one on the run and pronounced it good. What he didn’t know about the four(!) eggs and their friend, ricotta (whom he also gives the stink eye) clearly didn’t hurt him.

I never remember to post feedback, but I’ve made a bunch of your recipes, Deb, with nary a fail–so thanks!

Oh–and I brushed the skillet with grapeseed oil when cooking the ‘cakes. I always cook mine in oil, not (oh, never!) because I have anything against butter; I just find that oil behaves better for this application.

Just made these… SO yummy! They were great for using a bunch of ingredients that I had, but I think they will be a regular for me! They seem nice and light, and I loved the flavour! I almost didn’t make the sautéed apples, but they were the perfect addition.

Just made this for dinner tonight. My husband had oral surgery this morning and had 3 teeth extracted. He loves sautéed apples and pancakes and this was a perfect comfort food for him, plus the added protein of the ricotta. Delicious. Now I need more comfort food that he can eat. Thanks Deb.